FWCS Monthly Newsletter and Blog

Welcome to The FWCS Visionary: A public blog and monthly newsletter brought to you by the Communications Department and designed to provide you with news about Fort Wayne Community Schools. This is the inaugural year for this new information outlet and, as such, it may change shape and form as it grows into a resource we hope you find useful and fun. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in the outlet, please contact Communications. We would be thrilled to hear what you want to see.

Brothers Make Nostalgic Visit to Irwin

FWCS students weren’t the only ones who went back to school last month. At Irwin Elementary, brothers Stan and Jim Hood returned to the elementary school they attended 75 years ago to reminisce.

The brothers shared stories with Irwin Principal Mary Kinniry about throwing baseball at the stage that was once in the gym and of hitting balls into the balcony just so they could go retrieve it. The balcony is now a second-floor storage area. They shared stories of the mischief they caused and the consequences.

"Teachers were the ultimate authority. They ruled us, and we knew it," Jim said. "It was us against the teachers. Guess who won? Not us."

Stan shared stories of the rigorous standards that existed in kindergarten in 1943: "We had to be able to count to 100 and write your first and last name."

The brothers also remembered the off-limits room on the third floor - the dispensary, which was only used when a student was ill.

"I always thought the teachers went in there to smoke," Jim said.

After leaving Irwin, the brothers attended Smart School for seventh and eighth grades and then graduated from South Side High School. Stan went on to become an attorney and Jim worked at Rogers as a produce manager, among other jobs. Irwin was always special to them.

Why visit their elementary school after so many decades? For nostalgia, they said. "We both have always felt we owe a lot to this school. It was just such a wonderful environment," Stan said.